Bipartisan baloney, or, The Fix is in

The papers of record, NPR, and all the rest have been quick to downplay the overwhelming Republican nature of the growing Abramoff affair. "It touches both parties," "Harry Reid was a recipient of a campaign contribution from one of Abramoff's clients." Etcetera, etcetera. Nevermind that all but a handful of the recipients of Abramoff's largesse were Republicans, that no Democrats so far were seen whacking the ball with Jack at St. Andrews, or that Harry Reid is a senator from Nevada who always, always votes against any casinos not in...Nevada.

Nevertheless, the LA Times bucks the trend today with analysis on how the Republican Culture of Corruption got started -- the uniquely Republican K Street Project.

WASHINGTON — The corruption investigation surrounding lobbyist Jack Abramoff shows the significant political risk that Republican leaders took when they adopted what had once seemed a brilliant strategy for dominating Washington: turning the K Street lobbying corridor into a cog of the GOP political machine.

Abramoff thrived in the political climate fostered by GOP leaders, including Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who have methodically tried to tighten the links between the party in Congress and business lobbyists, through what has become known as the "K Street Project."

GOP leaders, seeking to harness the financial and political support of K Street, urged lobbyists to support their conservative agenda, give heavily to Republican politicians and hire Republicans for top trade association jobs. Abramoff obliged on every front, and his tentacles of influence reached deep into the upper echelons of Congress and the Bush administration.

Now, in the wake of a plea agreement in which Abramoff will cooperate in an influence-peddling investigation that might target a number of lawmakers, some Republicans are saying that the party will need to take action to avoid being tarnished.

Meanwhile, Firedoglake's Janey on the spot Hamsher looks at the faces behind the indictment and sees one she doesn't like, Bush political appointee Alice Fisher.

Fisher had been having trouble with her confirmation too, and Carl Levin had blocked her nomination due to concerns over her position on torture. There was also worry about her connection to DeLay:

Leahy also expressed concerns about Fisher's "views on checks of controversial provisions of the Patriot Act and her opposition to the Act's sunset provision; her participation in meetings in which the FBI expressed its disagreement with harsh interrogation methods practiced by the military toward detainees held at Guantanamo, and her ideas about appropriate safeguards for the treatment of enemy combatants." Leahy was also concerned about "reports that she has had ties to Congressman Tom DeLay'?s defense team" and "also to know what steps she to take to avoid a conflict of interest in the Department's investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and possibly Mr. DeLay."

Fisher is a career Republican who in her former job was registerd as a lobbyist for HCA, the healthcare company founded by Bill Frist's father. Her appointment was also controversial due to the fact that like her boss Abu Gonzales, Fisher has no trial experience and with Comey gone there would be no senior member of the Justice Department who was an experienced criminal prosecutor. But Senatorial oversight was dispensed with and BushCo. continued on its Brownie-esque rampage to replace experience with cronyism.

So, me pretties, don't count your ponies just yet, we may get nothing more than horseshit.